Christian Parenting, Bible Study, and Words of Encouragement

Thirty Days for Busy Mamas, Day 13: God’s Names

We’ve looked closely at the text, marking words, making lists. It’s time to turn to some other study aids to help us dig even deeper. To do that, we’re going to use Blue Letter Bible — a site that has the potential to revolutionize your Bible study!

Blue Letter Bible is free online, and is also free as an app, so you’ll have the choice of working directly from the website or using an app on your smaller electronic device. In surveying those of you who are doing the study with me, many of you are using tablets and smartphones, which is great! They make it easy to study wherever we are, even while nursing a baby or standing in the grocery line.

After much consideration and prayer, even though many of you are using small electronic devices for your study, I am going to continue to give my basic directions based on using the BLBwebsite, rather than its apps. However, for today I will be giving directions for the app as well. These will be inlighter type.

This assignment is simple, so don’t let its length frighten you. It’s long because I am writing detailed instructions for those of you who are new to Blue Letter Bible. Read them carefully, following one step at a time.

If you are planning on studying on your small device, install Blue Letter Bible’s app (available in IOS and Android).

Assignment: Pray for patience as you learn a new skill and for self-control that will keep you focused on your study. Pray too for an understanding of who God is and what He is like.

Read all of Psalm 91, testing your memory as you read. Are you making progress on memorizing the entire psalm?

Now let’s look at verses 1 and 2 more closely.

Look at the words you have highlighted in yellow in these verses, and list in your notebook the four names of God that are used. (Do not include refuge and fortress in this list. These are metaphors, not names.)

What does the Most High mean? Is anything or anyone higher than the Most High?

What does Almighty mean? All mighty? Does God possess all might? Is there anything outside of His power and might?

Let’s use Blue Letter Bible to continue considering the names the psalmist has used for God in his song.

In the “version box” directly below the search box, be sure KJV is selected.

Then click “enter” or the green button with the magnifying glass below the search box. This will open the text for all of Psalm 91.

If you are using Blue Letter Bible’s app:

(1) Open the app,

(2) Click on the “closed Bible” icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen and select KJV as your translation.

(3) If the screen gives you the option of selecting an additional version, choose the one you are using for your study.

(4) Then click the “open Bible” icon in the upper portion of the screen, type “Ps 91” in the search box, and click the search button in the lower right hand corner.)

Hover over the blue “Tools” button to the left of verse 1 and its reference. This will open a drop-down menu of available study tools for this verse.

Click the light blue “Interlinear” button.

(App users: Click on the text of verse 1, which will open a list of options. Click on “Interlinear/Concordance.”)

In both the website and the app, we are now looking at the interlinear tool for verse 1.

The interlinear lists all the words of the verse in the King James Version.

Each phrase is assigned a number. This is the Strong’s number for the main word in that phrase. This number will help us study the meaning of that main word.

We also see the English transliteration of the original Hebrew word.

Clicking the speaker button will give us the pronunciation of the Hebrew word.

Click on the Strong’s number for the phrase place of the Most High. This opens the lexicon or dictionary for this Hebrew word. Here we find information that will help us better understand the word Most High.

We will look at all the sections of the lexicon as we continue studying over the next few weeks. Today we are going to limit our study just two sections.

Look at the information listed under “Strong’s Definitions.” What new information do you gain? Record this in your notebook.

The Most High is Supreme. He’s the uppermost. This reinforces the fact that no one and no thing is higher than God.

Click your browser’s back arrow to return to the interlinear for verse 1.(App users: Notice the three different arrows at the top right-hand corner of your screen. Click the middle back arrow to return to the interlinear.)

Now click the Strong’s number for the phrase of the Almighty. Let’s see if we learn anything new about Almighty.

This time let’s look at the section labeled “Outline of Biblical Usage.” Here we learn how this particular Hebrew word is used in the Bible.

This confirms what we have already noted. The Almighty is “most powerful.”

This is the God in whose shelter and shadow we are invited to dwell.

He is the Most High. No one and no thing is higher than He.

He is the All Mighty. He has all might, all power.

Could there possibly be more safe and secure place to dwell?

The study of these two names for God didn’t reveal anything particularly new, but it did give us the opportunity to start getting acquainted with Blue Letter Bible. We’ll do much more with these tools in the days to come!

Write verse 1 in your own words, incorporating what you have learned about God’s names and the rest of the verse.

For your children:

Recite verses 1-2 together for memory. If you haven’t finished memorizing these two verses, work on them today. Keep memorizing everyday. Children will learn these verses quickly if they just have some help and encouragement, and will carry their comfort and assurance with them all through life.

Then talk about God as the Most High and the All Mighty. Ask them to tell you what is higher than the Most High? What is mightier than the All Mighty?

Draw a picture on a whiteboard or other surface that shows a shelter high on a tall mountain. Draw lots of shorter mountains around the tall one.

Then draw little men on the short mountains and a strong man’s arms coming out of the highest mountain.

Discuss how protected we are in God’s shelter, and let the children draw their own picture to depict our secure position, if they would like to.

4 Comments

I’m disappointed at your choice to continue with instructions for a desktop when your own survey should’ve pointed you in the opposite direction. I gave up one study that I attempted in the past because of the lack of instructions on how to use the app. I consider myself to be fairly tech savvy and of above-average intelligence – yet I was lost. It is my hope that this is not the case for others. I love these studies. I’ve recommended them to many. I plan to continue to use them. I hope that eventually the instructions will be provided for the majority.

Thanks for your input, Jessica. I’ve emailed a more detailed explanation for why I ultimately chose to give primary directions using the website as a starting point. My intention, however, is to include parenthetical instructions for app users as much as possible. Hope this helps!

Thank you, Pam. I love that I am learning to use this website/app to further study and understand scripture! Personally, I will use both my macbook and phone app depending on when I am able to have bible study, so I appreciate the instruction for both 🙂